


However Improbable

by TheFeistyRogue



Series: Critical Role Fics [5]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Adorable Jester Lavorre, Campaign 2 Episode 102 Spoilers, Families of Choice, Friendship, Gen, Heed Ye These Spoiler Warnings, Jester Lavorre & Caleb Widogast Friendship, Spoilers, campaign 1 spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-20
Updated: 2020-07-20
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:15:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,688
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25407502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheFeistyRogue/pseuds/TheFeistyRogue
Summary: Keyleth receives an impossible message from a girl named Jester Lavorre.
Series: Critical Role Fics [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1800271
Comments: 14
Kudos: 291





	However Improbable

Keyleth was attending dinner at Whitestone, halfway through a rant on the stubbornness of Old Master Vandegar, when a curious voice spoke to her through the means of a Sending spell, the accent definitively not of any region of Tal’Dorei she’d ever visited.

_ “Hi! So, I’m a big fan! My friend used to tell me stories about you. Also, I think we rescued your momma. Have you heard—”  _

“Keyleth? Are you okay?”

Keyleth blinked, staring up into the concerned face of Vex. She’d cut herself off mid-sentence to listen to the message and now… she opened her mouth to reply and found that nothing came out.

“Keyleth?” Vex’s hand was gentle on her shoulder, like she was taming a wild beast.

That message. It couldn’t be true. Her mother was dead, had been for decades. It had to be a cruel, twisted joke. She took a shaky breath and answered the spell.

“I am Keyleth of Vox Machina, Headmistress of the Air Ashari, Voice of the Tempest. I don’t take kindly to being mocked. Who are you?”

Standing from the dinner table, Keyleth took Vex’s offered hand before jerking her head in the direction of the door. Further down the table, their children watched with curious eyes. Keyleth gave them a weak smile before turning to Percy, seated at the head of the table.

“Could you both join me outside, for a moment?”

Gracious in age and manners, Percy bowed before sweeping round and offering his arm. Keyleth clung to him, letting them lead her out into the gardens. 

The last time she’d seen her mother, she’d shown off the cantrip that allowed her to create water, a dancing droplet catching sunbeams, flowing like a leaf on the wind. Mother had kissed her forehead and whispered words of reassurance as she left. Keyleth had thought nothing of it.

Not until days had stretched into weeks, into months, into years.

“Keyleth, darling, talk to us. What was that all about?”

“Are you well?” Percy added. “Should I fetch a cleric?”

Keyleth shook her head in a silent no, collapsing onto the first bench she saw, tucked beneath one of the apple trees that lined the path. It felt like a shard of ice had entered her heart, piercing her yet melting all at once. Mother was dead and had been for twenty-five years. She’d failed her trials and she’d died and they’d killed the kraken and Keyleth had had her revenge, laid her memory to rest.

“Someone messaged me,” she managed. “They said—” 

The strange voice entered her mind again. 

_ “Oh gosh, I’m sorry! My name’s Jester Lavorre, I’m one of the Mighty Nine. So, your momma says her name is Vilya and she was—” _

The spell paused for a moment, ending, before continuing with a second casting. In the heartbeat between breaths, Keyleth trembled.

_ “Last on Tal’Dorei to complete her Aramente with the Water Ashari, which sounds so cool! And now she’s with us on Rumblecusp and we’re going—” _

Keyleth stared at her shaking hands. Every word rang true. She waited a moment, but received no further message. What to say in response? This was heartbreaking. Life changing.

She’d seen the remains of her mother's body. She’d paid her respects. It seemed impossible. But, if there was a chance, even the smallest, minutest of chances…

“If what you say is true, I will find you. Tell her… tell her I’m coming,” Keyleth said, allowing the spell to fade. It felt like vines were tightening about her throat and chest, keeping all she had to say unspoken.

“Darling, what is it?” Vex wrapped an arm around her shoulders, giving her a reassuring squeeze. “Is it Pike? Scanlan? Oh, if that little devil’s in trouble I’ll box his ears.”

“No,” Keyleth said, forcing out the words. “They said my mother’s alive.”

* * *

Jester smiled at Vilya, feeling rather pleased with herself. 

“Well, she said she’s on her way,” she announced. “That’s  _ so _ exciting! Oh my god, Traveller, I didn’t realise the stories you told me about Vox Machina are real!”

A whispered chuckle echoed on the wind and Jester smiled a private smile.

There was a cautious, if baffled expression upon Vilya’s face. “Thank you… I appreciate it. I’m glad to hear she’s alive. Did she, perhaps, give any details as to how she’d arrive?”

Jestery grinned. “Nope! But I know that she’s like a super duper powerful druid or something so maybe she’ll fly here. Or, oh, maybe she knows Allura! How cool would that be? Maybe Allura will teleport her here, just like Essek does for us, Caleb!”

Caleb, who’d been surprisingly silent thus far, jolted as his name was spoken. 

“Ah, yes, uh, perhaps,” he said, his gaze still fixed upon Vilya as if he could learn all her secrets just by watching her. Jester rolled her eyes.

“Would she even be able to find us?” Fjord said, ever the voice of reason. “Rumblecusp is a pretty big island. Dangerous, too. Would it be safe?”

Beau and Caleb snorted simultaneously and Jester flashed a grin in Beau’s direction as she began spinning her staff, rounding on Fjord.

“Come on, Fjord, surely you’ve heard of Vox Machina?” Beau groaned when he shook his head. “No? Seriously? Uh, man, you gotta read more.”

“Vox Machina were a legendary band of adventurers who saved the Exandria twenty-five years ago. They fought the Chroma Conclave, amongst other other impressive deeds,” Caleb recited. He was probably recalling the lines from a book, the nerd.

“Like us, then?” Veth said, grinning the way she did when she was about to say something ludicrous. “We’re probably better, actually.”

“They’re a bunch of badasses!” Jester jumped in, anxious to convey just how cool this was. “Like, really major badasses.” She looked at her other friends for reassurance.

“Nope, never heard of them,” Cad said, after a long moment of thought, a single ear twitching. Yasha simply shook her head, not looking up from where she was honing her sword.

“Ah, you likely wouldn’t,” Caleb said. “They are well known on Tal’Dorei but are no longer a household name, here in Wildemount.”

Jester huffed. “Maybe not for you, but I knew them. The Traveller used to tell me all about them as bedtime stories. They’re the coolest.”

“Well I’m glad you think so, darling.”

Jester would never admit it, but she shrieked a little and jumped. Fortunately, so did everyone else in the Might Nein, even Cad, with his crazy good hearing.

Materialising from the shadows of the nearest tree was a half-elven woman in her mid-forties, dark hair, piercing blue eyes, and an impressive longbow on her back. There was a hint of a smirk on her face as her gaze drifted over each of them, until it settled upon Vilya. Her expression blanked before reforming into a smile that wasn’t entirely false but wasn’t entirely honest.

“So you’re the one claiming to be Keyleth’s mother? Charmed, I’m sure.” 

If Jester’s stories were true… this was Vex'ahlia! She opened her mouth to speak when Caleb’s hand settled on her shoulder, silencing her with a shake of his head, and Fjord stepped before Vilya, his gaze solemn. 

“And you are?” he said, hands on hips.  _ Seriously? _ Urgh, macho posturing. 

“Guys!” Jester burst out. “This is Lady Vex’ahlia de Rolo of Whitestone.” She stepped around Fjord, ignoring his outstretched arm, and curtseyed. “I’m Jester and I’ve wanted to meet you for like  _ ever _ !”

The woman snorted. “At least one of you has manners. A pleasure to meet you. I am, indeed, Lady Vex’ahlia de Rolo, although you may call me Lady Vex.” She arched a single brow. “So you’re the Mighty Nein? There appear to only be eight of you…”

“Seven, in truth,” Vilya said, also stepping past Fjord, who frowned, but made no move to stop her. “My Lady, I am not with them. They found me on this island and restored my memories, of which I had lost nearly thirty years of. When I left, my daughter was six, still learning how to bend the elements to her will. Please, will you tell me, is she well? Is she happy?”

This was better than any of the sappy books Jester had found on her mother’s bookshelf. Her heroes, come to life! She focused on how she would draw this scene to the traveller later, to ensure she did not blurt out everything she wanted to say.

Lady Vex frowned. “This sounds like quite the tale. Understand that I care deeply for Keyleth, like she was my own sister. If you can convince me you are who you say you are, she’ll join us later.”

As Vilya launched into a fantastic story about a kraken, a portal between planes, and the terrible mind-bending ways of Vokodo, Jester snuck a glance at Caleb. Although he was staring at the ground, he was tense, following the story with each twitch of his shoulders. Occasionally he’d dart a look around at his surroundings before staring back down. She shuffled closer to him and caught his hand in hers. 

“Hey,” she whispered. “It’s all going to be okay.” 

He shot her a pained glance. “It is good that their family are reuniting. But I am worried about Vokodo, and what he might do, and…” he paused, and Jester squeezed his hand in hers.

“You miss your momma,” she said. She missed hers too, right now, but it wasn’t the same.

“Ha,” Caleb replied, sounding choked. “Ja, I suppose.”

Jester squeezed his hand tighter, in a silent promise of support. She thought of the Gentleman, lonely in Zadash, of her momma, pining in the Lavish Chateau. Families were complicated.

There was a hint of something in Lady Vex’s eyes too, that suggested long hidden pain. Jester knew that Lady Vex had once been a twin, and that her twin had somehow died, and no one really knew how.

It was bittersweet knowledge, to realise even the most powerful of adventurers still felt pain and grief. 

“You’ll always have us,” she swore. Somehow, for some reason, she was confident that it was true.

**Author's Note:**

> Matt's greatest and most wonderful mistake was allowing Jester to use Sending on people who she hasn't yet met.
> 
> Title from the famous quote:
> 
> "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth." - Sherlock Holmes, Arthur Conan Doyle
> 
> But seriously, what chaos are the gang going to get up to now they're aware of Vilya and her possible connections to campaign 1?


End file.
